


Welcome Home

by paupotter_4869



Series: The Most Important Thing. . . [6]
Category: The Last of Us (Video Games)
Genre: Home, Jackson - Freeform, for the first time in so long Joel and Ellie are greeted with open arms, settling down, some peace and quiet, tommy's dam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:35:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27953993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paupotter_4869/pseuds/paupotter_4869
Summary: After fleeing St. Mary's Hospital, Joel takes Ellie back to Jackson. Many adjustments will have to be made for them to settle down and acclimatize to live in a community.
Relationships: Ellie & Joel (The Last of Us), Maria/Tommy (The Last of Us)
Series: The Most Important Thing. . . [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2033674
Kudos: 14





	Welcome Home

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own anything. All credit goes to Naughty Dog.

“Swear to me that everything you said about the Fireflies was true!” 

“I swear.” 

The look on Ellie’s face was devastating. Joel saw how much she wanted to believe him, how much it caused her to believe the lies he’d just fed her. It was almost unbearable, and Joel came close to give in, tell her the truth and beg for forgiveness.

Against better judgment, he didn’t. He just changed the subject, turned around, and hoped that they'd be able to move on from everything that had happened back at the Hospital. Hoping that Ellie would be satisfied with his lies and wouldn't question him further, although he knew she wouldn't. Right at this second, he'd made a choice. He'd decided that the only way out—the only way to minimize the damage already done—was to keep lying if she ever pressed him more.

“Come on, let’s get going,” he ordered. “I want to reach Jackson before nightfall.” 

Quietly, Ellie followed him, and this time around Joel couldn’t, for the life of him, come up with any stories, jokes, or anecdotes to entertain her or fill in the silence. They said nothing throughout that last part of the trip, with Joel looking over his shoulder time and time again to make sure Ellie was walking behind him and hadn’t vanished into thin air. He’d never wanted to hurt her. And although he had hurt her, and made mistake after mistake where Ellie was concerned, he had fulfilled his vow and kept her safe throughout the past year. Hadn’t lied to her, either. Had he failed miserably right at the end of the mission? 

It was a peaceful stroll to town, if Joel and Ellie could leave out the emotional turmoil they were both feeling. Joel was relatively relaxed out here, almost confident that they wouldn’t be jumped by any Infected—Tommy had told him they did regular sweeps of the forest to get rid of any Infected roaming nearby the community. 

“Here. Put this on,” Joel ordered, handing Ellie a clean bandage. 

She took it and stared back blankly at Joel, without knowing what to do with that bandage. Over the past year, they had had to be careful and wise regarding the limited resources they had, so even if she’d been hurt, her first instinct would be to assess if she truly needed to bandage the wound. Now that she wasn’t even injured, she had no idea what Joel pretended her to do with the bandage. 

“Cover that bite mark,” he explained. “Remember what I told you? Don’t tell anyone about your condition. We’re going to live in a community for the imminent future and it’s a safe bet they’d freak out if anyone saw that. You’re going to have to be careful from now on.” 

“Okay,” she nodded, putting the bandage on her forearm. Joel gave her a hand to tie it up, then made sure no inch of the injury was visible. He didn’t look quite satisfied, yet. 

“We’ll try to find a more permanent solution for it,” he whispered. 

Soon after, they reached the first guard point. Having learned the lesson, Joel put down his weapon and approached the fence empty-handed, although Ellie reacted the opposite way, her hand on her gun, ready to pull it out in case of emergency. 

“Don’t take one step closer!” a man up on the tower shouted. 

“Hello, there,” Joel said, keeping his voice calm and low. “This is Ellie. I’m Joel Miller—Tommy Miller’s brother. We’re here at my brother’s invitation. We’re not Infected and we’re not planning on attacking any of the folks living here.” 

“Get Tommy,” the man orders someone else. “And you down there, do not move!” 

“Alright, alright,” Joel agreed, trying to maintain the peace. Ellie, however, didn’t like the pace things were going and, of course, she couldn’t keep quiet about her complaints. 

“This is ridiculous,” she scowled, stepping to Joel’s side. He raised an arm to stop her advances, but Joel didn’t exactly have any gag mouths available to refrain her from saying something out of turn that would get them both killed. “Isn’t Maria around? Or maybe. . . Fuck, what was her name? The cook. . . Alicia?” 

Only silence came from the tower guard for a few seconds, until a woman popped out her head and looked down—Ellie flashed a crooked smile, surprising Joel with that gesture. 

“Well, hello, Ellie,” the woman, Alicia, greeted. 

“Hi,” said Ellie, waving her hand. 

“Let them in, come on,” Alicia ordered at the men surrounding her. 

The doors opened after some more beats. Joel and Ellie stepped forward, greeted by half a dozen men and women with their weapons pointed at them, all too tense and trigger-happy for Joel’s taste. And then, there was Alicia, in striking contrast, smiling fondly at them both, the very first gesture of kindness they’d seen and received in weeks. 

“Welcome,” she said. 

She looked as if she wanted to hug Ellie but thought better of it and, instead, she offered her hand. Ellie shook it once and so did Joel, thanking Alicia for giving them a hand. 

“No sweat. We’re a little jumpy when it comes to strangers.” 

“Understandably so,” Joel said, waving her apologetic tone with his hand. 

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Alicia said. “We didn’t have a chance last time you stopped by.” 

“Afraid we couldn’t stay.” 

Joel looked back, the doors closing behind them, the tower guards all around the fence. He was assessing the protective measures already, but also, the fact that he and Ellie could feel safe for the first time in over a year. The area was free of Infected and there were other people in charge of guard duty. Maybe, they’d be able to sleep uninterrupted for a whole night straight, around here. The mere possibility made his muscles relax, the accumulated tension deflate. 

At that moment, Tommy arrived, gasping a bit after the exertion of running from wherever it was he’d been. He flashed a big smile and went straight to Joel, hugging him tightly as they did the first time Joel came to the dam. He then took a good look at Ellie and something about her made him frown momentarily, before he rested his hand on her shoulders. 

“Glad to see you two in one piece. Are you hungry? What am I saying, of course, you are,” he answered his own question, with a little shake of his head. “Come on, let’s go to the canteen. Today was stew day—you’ll love it.” 

“I’ll see you later, then,” Alicia waved goodbye. 

“Sure. Thanks again,” Joel nodded, trying not to be rude towards the woman, although he wasn’t too sure how keen they’d be to social conversations in the next few days. If Ellie had learned anything from him over the past year, it was his preference for making small talk to strangers. 

While leading them to the canteen, Tommy tried introducing Joel and Ellie to some of the townfolk, and he also gave them a little tour of the community—pointing at the hospital, the school, his and Maria’s place, the farm and greenhouses at the edge of town. If quizzed later, however, Joel couldn’t remember a single name or landmark Tommy had shown them. He was too worried about Ellie. She looked around in awe, too, although a forlorn and blue filter in her eyes tainted everything she saw. 

“Here we are,” said Tommy, holding a door open for them both. 

The smell of food attacked and overwhelmed Joel and Ellie’s systems at the same time. They staggered at the doorstep, totally unaccustomed to having food to spare and to having people cooking it on a routine basis. Some of the tables were occupied by groups of four or five townfolk. 

Giving a general greeting wave to the townfolk, but without wasting any time on introductions this time around, Tommy grabbed a bottle of water from the first table to the right. 

“John, can you prepare two more plates? We’ve got guests,” Tommy asked a man behind the counter, pointing at Joel and Ellie behind him. 

“Sure, but I’m afraid it’s cold,” the man said. 

“Fine by us,” Joel promised. 

Tommy crossed the canteen towards an empty table. Joel felt as if he’d just traveled through time and walked into a bar back at home, twenty years earlier, the way people talked and laughed at the different tables, some playing cards, some drinking, some just telling tales. They waved at Joel and Ellie as they walked past, some heads turning around at two unknown people in the canteen, following Tommy with unmistaken friendliness. 

At their table, Joel took off his backpack and sat down, instructing Ellie to do the same—she was on guard, as usual, reluctant to let go of her weapons in an unfamiliar place. Nonetheless, John appeared then with two plates of stew for them, and her mouth watered. Willingly or not, she found a seat and started to gobble down her food. 

“Slow down, kiddo,” chuckled Tommy, albeit knowing the girl wasn’t going to listen to him, “it ain’t going nowhere.” 

He looked back at Joe with bliss and awe, unable to utter the words he wanted to say, regarding Joel being back to town with Ellie. Part of him thought he wouldn’t see either one of them ever again and, when Alexander told him Joel Miller had just shown up at their doorstep, he couldn’t quite believe it. Instead of diving into such sentimental conversations, he poured two glasses of water and Joel drank his in one long sip before he, too, started eating. 

They ate for some minutes in quiet, pretending not to notice the looks they got from people all around the canteen, while Tommy told them about how things worked around Jackson—the duties, the patrols, the schedules. And then, a woman walked up to their table and sat right next to Tommy. 

“So the rumor was true,” said Maria, beaming at Joel and Ellie. “You’re back.” 

“Nice to see you again, Maria,” Joel said in his and Ellie’s stead, for the girl would not stop eating her stew. 

“You found what you were looking for?” Maria asked. She specifically avoided mentioning any specific places or names to keep the secrecy around town, for she knew confidential information was hard to hide from the townsfolk. 

Her question, however, was left unanswered. Neither Joel nor Ellie knew what to say and, before giving a wrong response, they kept quiet and kept on eating. Maria understood and she started talking about the town—the population, the duties—until Tommy stopped her, saying he’d already brought them both up to speed. Not that Ellie or Joel were listening, but they didn’t want to put poor Tommy on the spot. 

“Ellie, what on Earth are you doing?” Joel demanded then. 

He had caught the girl wrapping some bread and a couple of potatoes in a napkin and trying to hide it inside her jacket’s pocket. At Joel’s question, she froze, and looked at Maria and Tommy with a panicked look on her face. 

Judging by the fond smiles they showed her, it seemed they understood her reasons and were not pissed off at her at all. 

“You really don’t have to ration your food,” Tommy said softly. 

“I promise you, there’ll always be a plate for you here from now on. No more starving,” nodded Maria. “We’ve got a farm of our own and there’s also hunting duty.” 

“Great. How do I apply for that?” 

Uneasy upon the girl’s vehemence, Tommy stuttered and looked at Joel, looking for the appropriate answer. 

“Let’s get some rest first and then we’ll talk about you going back out there with a gun,” Joel said, trying to prioritize Ellie’s needs and not her wishes. She pouted, but didn’t complain and looked down on her now empty plate. “You done here?” 

“Yep,” nodded Ellie. She finished her glass of water and then stood with everyone else. 

Joel picked up his backpack and Tommy took care of Ellie’s as a gentlemanly gesture. She eyed Tommy suspiciously but kept on walking, following Maria out of the canteen, without sparing the other townfolk a single look. Joel realized she only allowed Tommy to carry her backpack because she was hiding an extra knife on her right now—wouldn’t feel easy walking around town, however safe everyone promised it to be, without carrying a weapon herself. 

Now that their hunger had been satiated, and that the feeling of security was slowly being sowed in his brain, Joel took the time to listen to Tommy and Maria’s explanations, and to take a good look around. Although the Infected were still roaming beyond those walls, it was so different from Lincoln, without the military everywhere he looked. No executions on the streets, no martial Law imposed, no gunfights breaking out at all times of day, no ration cards, no forbidden areas guarded by heavily-armed soldiers. Despite the obvious and unavoidable security measures necessary to ensure people’s survival, in Jackson they all seemed. . . Free. Happier, too. 

He realized then that, before meeting Ellie, Joel couldn’t have been able to live in this community, with his brother and sister-in-law. In Lincoln, he was alone, with the exception of Tess, and lived on a day-to-day basis, wallowing in pain and self-pity. Something told him very few people would allow and stand such behavior around here. 

“So,” Tommy said, stopping in front of a two-stories house with a porch upfront. “What do you think?” 

“About?” Joel pressed. 

“About your new place,” explained Tommy, a very slow tone to make sure Joel and Ellie would understand it this time around. 

“This?” 

“You’re fucking kidding,” scowled Ellie, stepping up the porch. For the first time since Joel had taken her out of the hospital, she had a genuine smile on her face, marveled at the prospect of having a place of her own, and for that, Joel thanked his brother. “For real?” 

“Of course,” nodded Maria, smiling too at Ellie’s excitement. “Unless you don’t like it.” 

“Shut up!” Ellie yelled, running through the front door. 

“Hey, slow down!” Joel reprimanded her for it, but Ellie never listened, and Tommy and Maria shrugged off his concerns. 

The three adults followed her into the house at a slower, more composed pace, although the former couldn’t stop himself, either, and let out a whistle upon seeing the inside of the house. To the right, there was a living room, with couches and armchairs, a TV, and a library filled with second-hand books and encyclopedias. A living room to the left, and a fully-equipped kitchen, a small laundry room, and bathroom at the end—and that was just the first floor. 

It was more than Joel could have expected. Maybe they could make Jackson their new home, as unbelievable as those words sounded, as impossible as that feeling seemed to him just one year prior. 

Ellie showed up then, running down the stairs. 

“Can we really stay here?” she asked, almost yelled, at Tommy and Maria. 

“Of course, kiddo,” the woman said, and almost before she’d finished the sentence, Ellie was yelling again already. 

“This place is amazing, Tommy! There are two bedrooms upstairs! And I mean an actual bedroom, with actual mattresses! And a desk and a wardrobe!” she announced. “We won’t even have to share a room!” 

“First time having a bedroom of your own?” Joel put one and one together with a low voice, feeling sorry for her not knowing before now any sense of belonging or privacy. 

“Yes!” she confirmed. “Come on, I’ll show you!” 

She dashed upstairs again, too fast for the adults to keep up with her. They fell behind, chuckling at the girl’s enthusiasm, and Joel knew at that moment he’d done the right thing by hiding the truth from Ellie. The lies had started to feel unbearable back at the canteen, where he could see the hurt look on her eyes lingering, but he now knew Ellie could never know the truth about the Fireflies and her immunity. She couldn’t lose all of this. 

“You were certain we’d be back, huh?” Joel asked on their way upstairs—they’d prepared the house way too fast for a couple of unexpected travelers popping up within a minute’s notice. 

“We’d hoped,” confessed Tommy, bumping against Joel’s side. 

His admission went beyond Joel’s behavior in the last two decades and his fear that Joel would isolate himself again after fulfilling his mission to the Fireflies. There was a chance, a high chance no less, that neither Ellie nor Joel would survive the trip across the country, that neither of them would come back to Jackson. Hadn’t it been for Ellie, Joel wouldn’t be alive today. 

“I’m calling dibs!” Ellie said when they got upstairs, standing under the threshold of one of the bedrooms. 

“Alright, kiddo, that one’s yours,” chuckled Joel, despite the fact he hadn’t even had the luxury of assessing any of the bedrooms. 

Tommy and Maria told them a little bit about the house then, although it was more an informative speech to Joel, for Ellie was still running to and fro checking the whole house. The house had been swept before their arrival, albeit they recommended Joel going on a full cleaning spree to make it truly comfortable. They had clean sheets and towels inside the wardrobes, plus blankets to spare to weather the winter. They had running water and electricity, too—so long as the hydroelectric plant was up and running, which sometimes failed and left the whole town dark for a few hours. In that case, they could find matches and candles in every bedroom, living room, and in the kitchen. They’d laid out some clothes for them, but they could talk to the townfolk and find more fitting pieces of clothing. 

They were free to use the whole house and the spare rooms as they pleased, and also to read and exchange all the books that were gathering dust in the house. 

“I think that’s it,” said Tommy. “We can call up Doc and have him run a check-up on you both here if you’d like.” 

Joel knew what he wanted, but he still looked at Ellie, waiting for her answer—he knew he couldn’t decide for her. Some part of him believed that, giving her the option of choosing on her own would, just maybe, avoid alienating her further. 

“I’m kind of beat,” she confessed. 

“Why don’t we leave that for tomorrow?” Joel settled for himself and Ellie, a suggestion no one argued against. 

“Take a couple of days to rest and we’ll talk about duties and whatnot,” agreed Maria. 

“Thank you,” said Joel. 

“We’ll let you be, then.” 

“Actually. . .” Joel stopped them before they attempted to leave. No more words follow, however, because he did not know how to uttered what he wanted or needed, not while having Ellie so nearby. “I’d rather. . .” 

Tommy understood his struggles. “We’ll be downstairs. Take your time,” he said. 

Nodding in appreciation, Joel watched his brother and Maria descend the stairs. Once they were out of sight, he turned around and searched for Ellie, finding her lying with her arms and legs stretched on the king-sized bed of the dormitory she’d chosen. Joel was fairly certain she’d called dibs on the biggest bedroom, but couldn’t bring himself to tell her off because of it. He could sleep on the floor if necessary, an actual bed, small or big, would make all the difference. And seeing Ellie enjoy it all so much, it made it all worthwhile. 

He stayed there for some minutes, pondering what to say. The lies he’d told her, lies he’d have to keep all of his life, were already making his heart ache. For a brief moment, he pondered if resuming the conversation they had out there in the mountains, before reaching Jackson. 

In the end, he was too weak. He grabbed a blanket from the wardrobe and approached the bed. 

“Listen, if you’re going to fall asleep, you should take off your boots and jacket,” he instructed, mellowed voice. “And do me a favor, too. If you sneaked any more food out of the canteen, take it out of your pockets or it’s going to be a big fat mess.” 

“Fine,” scowled Ellie, her tone succinct and cold, again. Maybe she was just putting on a façade in front of Tommy and Maria, Joel feared. 

She stood up and took out of her pockets a few napkins with which she’d wrapped bread and potatoes. Joel sighed at that, surprised to see how much food she’d managed to smuggle under everyone’s noses, but didn’t tell her off again. She took off her shoes, letting them drop on the floor without a care in the world, and lie back on the bed. Joel threw the blanket over her shoulders and she snuggled closer. 

“Good night,” he bid farewell. 

Downstairs, he met Tommy and Maria in the living room—his living room, he supposed, although he couldn’t even consider the possibility at the moment. It seemed like they’d done their fair share of talking while Joel was upstairs with Ellie, because they didn’t even give him a chance to open his mouth. 

“Joel, let’s go for a ride,” suggested Tommy, standing from his seat. “I’ll show you around town and the area.” 

“You two can go. I’ll stay with Ellie,” said Maria, winking at Joel to ease his worries. It was the best course of action they could come up in such short-term notice to let the two brothers have some alone time and catch up.

Joel truly appreciated their way of taking charge and manhandling things—he’d spent too much time on that forsaken mission, taking care of Ellie, and he was emotionally drained, actually looking forward to that peaceful life Maria and Tommy had promised him. He wasn’t too proud to confess he truly needed help regarding Ellie. 

After all, he did need to talk to Tommy in private to explain what had happened with Ellie since they last saw each other, and at the same time, needed to have a trust-worthy person looking after Ellie while he was gone. Maria had kept Ellie safe once before, during the bandits’ attack on the damp during their last visit, and was probably the only person around Jackson Joel trusted with Ellie’s life again. As a matter of fact, he assumed he’d need much of Tommy and Maria’s help in the imminent future to deal with Ellie, to keep her immunity secret from the townfolk, to keep feeding her the lies he’d given her about the Fireflies. Joel feared dark clouds coming, and that all the lies would, at some point, come back to haunt him and bite him. 

“Let’s go,” he accepted.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it!


End file.
